1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to electrical connector technology and more particularly, to an electrical power connector, which effectively lowers conducting terminal contact impedance and temperature.
2. Description of the Related Art
When designing an electrical connector, a designer normally will pay attention to two basic parts, i.e., signal and power supply. When designing a signal circuit, a designer normally will not consider the factor of current variation for the reason that the applied current is normally low. However, with respect to the transmission of signals, a designer may consider the nature of the carrier (high frequency, low frequency) and many other factors (static interference, magnetic interference, impedance matching, etc.) without taking the factor of temperature into account. With respect to power supply, conducting a high-current power supply through a power circuit will increase the impedance, causing a rise in temperature. Thus, when designing an electrical power connector, the factors of quick heat dissipation and low conducting terminal impedance must be considered, avoiding a significant change in the electrical characteristics.
Further, an electrical connector of this kind is generally used in a power supply device or server, and electrically connected to a circuit board for conducting power supply. FIGS. 10 and 11 illustrate two similar prior art designs of conducting terminals for electrical power connector. According to these two prior art designs, the conducting terminal A comprises a panel base A1, a front mating end portion A2 forwardly extended from the front side of the panel base A1, a rear bonding end portion A3 downwardly extended from the rear side of the panel base A1, and two barbed hooks A11 forwardly extended from the panel base A1 and suspending at two opposite lateral sides relative to the front mating end portion A2. Further, the front mating end portion A2 of the conducting terminal A defines a turning face A21, and a front guide slope A22 obliquely outwardly extended from the turning face A21. After insertion of the conducting terminal A into an electrically insulative housing, the barbed hooks A11 are forced into friction engagement with the inside wall of the electrically insulative housing, and therefore the conducting terminal A is positively secured to the inside of the electrically insulative housing. However, if the electrically insulative housing is excessively compressed, it may be damaged, or a ridged surface of the electrically insulative housing may occur. In this case, the retaining force provided by the electrically insulative housing to secure the conducting metal terminal in position will be lowered. Further, the barbed hooks A11 occupy a part of the effective conducting area of the conducting terminal A. When a high current goes through the barbed hooks A11, a high impedance will be produced, giving off heat and causing power loss. Further, a small power loss of each of a large number of electrical power connectors in a computer room leads to a large amount of power loss.
Further, the aforesaid conducting terminal A is directly made of a copper sheet member using a metal stamping technique, enabling the front mating end portion A2 of the conducting terminal A to be electrically kept in contact with a large area of the circuit board so that impedance and temperature can be reduced. However, the front mating end portion A2 of the conducting terminal A has a large surface area (see FIG. 10). Thus, the conducting terminal A must have a certain thickness to maintain the structural strength. However, increasing the thickness of the conducting terminal A will relatively lower the elastic deformation ability of the conducting terminal A, and the conducting terminal A will be damaged easily to affect its conductivity during application. Further, in the design shown in FIG. 11, elongated slits A23 are made on the front mating end portion A2 of the conducting terminal A to divide the front mating end portion A2 into multiple parts, enhancing the effects of elastic deformation. However, the structural design problem of the barbed hooks A11 remains unsettled. Therefore, structural stability of an electrical power connector is very important. Improving the structural stability of electrical power connectors is the subject people engaging in this field must take into account.